Charlotte HBA Creates Award-Winning Membership Strategy

In January 2023, Jen Schuster became the executive officer of the HBA of Greater Charlotte, and brought her can-do attitude and an air of excitement to the HBA. By the end of the year, more than 200 members had joined, thanks to Schuster's strong focus on creating opportunities within the organization.

HBA of Greater Charlotte EO Jen Schuster poses next to the Membership Cup trophy she was awarded during the 2024 Association Management Conference.

NAHB recently awarded Schuster the NAHB Membership Cup, an annual award presented at NAHB's Association Management Conference (AMC) that recognizes an HBA for outstanding membership growth and strategy.

"As a new EO, I did not know that the Membership Cup award was given out at AMC, so it was a complete surprise to me," said Schuster. "I've since learned what an accomplishment it is to receive this award ... We have a board that has prioritized events and growth over the past two years, and that work has been paying off."

Schuster began looking for ways to get members more involved. The HBA revitalized its Sales & Marketing Council and Land Development Council before chartering a PWB chapter and adding a Custom Contractor Committee and Political Action Committee. Schuster now has plans to grow a Young Professionals Committee.

The HBA's Membership Committee, chaired by Alma Jacobs, helped get members involved along the way. The committee of more than 10 members encourages new members to attend events and learn about their member benefits.

HBA of Greater Charlotte members now have their social calendars booked with HBA events - often with a personal invitation from Schuster.

"Offering a wide variety of events has really helped us," said Schuster. "Next year we will introduce a monthly happy hour that is consistent - so everyone knows the third Wednesday of the month at Ed's Tavern you can find a friend from the HBA."

The committees and councils have also grown, and offer more targeted events and learning opportunities, such as monthly lunch meetings and breakfasts featuring a guest speaker. Schuster says it's important to remain committed, even if a new idea doesn't catch on right away.

"Creating a good mix, and not giving up are key," she said. "It takes a while for a council/committee or certain event to start to catch on."

About the NAHB Membership Cup

The NAHB Membership Cup is an annual award to recognize one local home builders association's exceptional membership efforts.

Several other HBAs were also named as finalists for leading the Federation with the highest percentage in both member recruitment and retention. The 2023 finalists were:

• Greater Fort Smith Association of Home Builders
• HBA of Tri-Cities
• Home Builders & Remodelers of Central New York
• Huntsville/Madison County Builders Association
• Southern Arizona HBA
• SW New Mexico HBA

Learn more about the NAHB Membership Cup and Grand Awards.

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